What happened
During a scheduled flight service bound for Belo Horizonte, the crew taxied from the apron toward the takeoff point. Due to extremely low visibility caused by heavy fog, the crew incorrectly positioned the aircraft at the threshold of a taxiway rather than the designated runway.
After receiving takeoff clearance from Air Traffic Control, the crew began the takeoff roll. Shortly after the procedure commenced, the captain identified the incorrect positioning and attempted an emergency braking maneuver. Despite these efforts, the aircraft could not stop before exiting the paved surface, subsequently striking an embankment. The impact resulted in the aircraft breaking into two pieces. The accident resulted in one fatality and 20 injuries, with the airframe being destroyed.
Findings
Investigations determined that the primary factor was the crew's failure to identify that they were positioned on a taxiway instead of the active runway. The presence of dense fog, which reduced visibility to near zero, served as a contributing element to the navigational error.